Chapter 1.

~Amber~

A week. It had been a whole week since the last time I saw Malia, which had been right after the war. She said she had to leave, but that she’d be back, soon. And I hadn't seen or heard a word from her since.

The waiting was driving me insane, I needed her. She was my mate, it wasn't supposed to be this hard, was it?

After the war, Malia came with me to meet my family and the pack. They were all very welcoming and didn't show the slightest bit of disrespect. It was a great fear of mine, the outing of me wanting to be with a woman. I wondered how they would all take it, it isn't very usual amongst werewolves that you love another of the same gender.

But I had known since I was young. I never had the kid crushes on guys, it was always on girls. One girl at the school I went too, I would day dream about for years, hoping she would be my mate.

And then I turned eighteen, and as most girls in our packs found their mates, I was left alone.

They tried setting me up with unmated males but I always just said I was waiting for my mate. Besides, I was the ’future’ Alphas sister and the current Alphas daughter back then and not many guys dared to date me for that very reason.

I kept my secret buried.

Too scared to tell them the truth. However, the prejudice lied within me, I didn't feel as though I could be honest, when all they did was congratulate me on finding love.

Love.

Malia must come back, sooner rather than later. I missed her, I wanted to be with her and since we weren't marked, I could feel the drift of the mate bond. It was excruciating.

”I can practically hear the wheels going around in you brain from all the over-thinking,” I looked to my side and scowled at me brother.

”At least you have your mate by your side," He grinned and pulled Avery closer to him.

”Hell yeah I do.” I do. I squinted, another thought popping in to my head.

I looked between the two of them, the alpha and his Luna. And then the thought grew into a plan.

”I know!” I shouted and got up on my feet.

”Huh?” Avery looked at me, her face wrinkled in to a question mark.

”Your wedding, let’s plan it, it’ll help keep me busy until Malia shows up.” I said and already felt the excitement reach my finger tips.

”Well, we actually-” Avery started but if I had to sit here without my mate by my side, the tiniest thing they could do, was let me help with the wedding.

”Shouldn’t she have a Luna ceremony before she get’s to the wedding part?” Alex chimed in.

I looked at Alex, my eyes growing and ideas swirling around in my head.

”Yes. We could start with the Luna ceremony, oh it will be so fun and we could-"

”Wow!” Avery said, with her hands in the air as she rose to her feet.

James grunted and pulled her back down to him.

Avery rolled her eyes and sighed.

”That’s a lot,” she said, looking about ready to faint.

”We just ended Crow and won a war, can't we at least live that down before we start with parties?”

”First of all, never call it a party again,” I said and frowned at her.

”The Luna ceremony is traditional for the mate of the Alpha. Until you've done that, you’re not really the Luna.” I said. Edging her on to get excited.

”I’m okay with that,” Avery said with a shrug.

I growled and narrowed my eyes at her. My mate was missing and only the goddess knew when she’d be back. Or if she’d be back.

I needed this, wether Avery cared for it or not, she was getting a Luna ceremony sooner rather than later.

”I don’t have a choice, do I?” She said with one raised brow and looked eerily at me.

I smiled big at her innocent stupidity.

”No, sweetheart, no you do not.”

James’s chest rumbled with laughter, earning him a glare from his mate. He cleared his throat and pretended like it hadn't happened before placing a kiss on her head.

  * * *

”Amber, it’s been over an hour," Avery whined and slouched down on the couch.

We had gone over the color pallets, dress, hair, makeup, food and decorations. We hadn't even gotten to the event planing yet or who and how many she would want to invite from outside the pack.

”Oh hush you, this is huge. It’s your entering to the pack, this is where you will be tied-not only to James- but to the entire pack.”

”That sounds like a lot of responsibility,” Averys face turned to a cringed expression and her nose scrunched up. I shook my head and could nothing but offer her a consoling smile.

”It is, yes. But you won't be alone, James will still be the alpha, he will still shoulder the responsibility. But you will be there by his side through all of it and you need to be respected while doing so. Until you've been initiated, you won't really be the Luna, meaning you won’t really be qualified or accepted to make many choices. An Alpha needs his Luna, and so does a pack.”

I said as I held her hands in mine.

”What is this really about?” Avery leaned back and scanned my face. ”She will be back, Amber. I saw the way she looked at you, she won't be gone for long.” I tried not to look to taken aback, but I must’ve failed, seeing the pity on Avery's face.

”She was turned buy a Knight, Aves. I wouldn’t blame her if she chose not to come back,” I mustered a small smile and looked back on the table where everything laid. ”But I need this, and so do you, you just don't see it yet." i said and flicked my head to where everything was waiting.

Avery puffed out a breath of air and looked at me with a pout. She nodded her head and got up on her feet, ready to decide which dress to wear.

”What about this one?” She said and held a picture of a gorgeous model of a dress with a slim waist and long trunk. The fabric she picked up was a lace yellow with red embodied details.

”That’s gorgeous,” I said in awe. It really was and imagining it on Avery, it would be perfect. The fabric would hug her figure and the color suited her skin tone.

The door to Avery’s room was thrown open and we both looked at each other with bored expressions, hearing the heavy breathing alpha that had entered the room.

”Hello, my love,” Avery said innocently.

”You’ve been at this for hours,” he said and walked over to where we sat.

”Yes, and we just picked a dress,” she held up the picture of the dress along with the fabric. I suppressed a laugh when I saw James raise a brow and bite down his jaw.

”No fucking way,” He said and looked up at Avery. Avery scowled and looked at her mate.

”This is the dress, James,”

”No.

”Yes.”

”I don't need every fucking member of this pack staring at you body in that dress, so, no,” he said and flashed her a smile. But the darkness in his eyes revealed the many people he’d beat up for looking at her the wrong way.

Avery got up from the bed and placed her hands on his chest.

”This is the dress, James. I am going to wear it as we walk up on that podium and you, the alpha, announces me as the Luna. And then, we’ll go back too our room and you will rip the dress to shreds as you-”

”Eew, guys!” I shrieked as I covered my ears.

”That’s my brother,” James looked smug as he gripped the small of Avery's back and pressed her to him.

”I’m going to keep you to that promise,”

"Now come one, you both need to eat.”

* * *

~Avery~

We were sitting by the table in the dining room- eating,  when i saw Liam walking in with a girl on his arm. He found my eyes and I gave him a smile, he looked at the girl he held closely to him and smiled back at me.

Liam had joined the pack and proven himself to be quite the skillfull warrior. Another upside was that he had found his mate, a blonde-haired girl named Myra. She was caring and sweet, I had talked to her on a few occasions and I was thrilled when those two ended up together. Liam deserved to be happy after what my family had done to him.

”Aves!” I jumped in shock when Lydias loud voice filled the entire dining area as she stormed up to me and grabbed my hand. Her face looked serious but the alpha beside me wasn't so amused.

”Way to make an entrance, Lydia. How about you don’t make my pack deaf.” He scolded and I bit back a laugh.

She rolled her eyes and locked her eyes with mine.

”We need to talk,” I heard the underlaying hurry in her voice and Lydias eyes were narrowed as she looked at me. There was a smile on her face but it was strained, nobody else seemed to notice though.

”Can we eat first?”

”No." I felt my body stiffen and the hairs rising on my body, something was wrong.

”I’ll be right back.” I said and placed a kiss on James’s cheek. He gripped my arm, stopping me from moving.

”It’s fine,” I said and he reluctantly let go as his eyes scanned between me and Lydia.

”What is it?” I asked Lydia when she had dragged me to a secluded place of the house.

”I talked to my mom and she had some information about Malia,” my ears perked up and I listened carefully to what Lydia had to say.

”After Malia left here, she went to her cousin. Her cousin is the new reigning queen of the New Orleans Clan,”

”Clan?”

”Yes, vampires Avery, keep up,” I growled at Lydias rudeness and waited for her to continue.

”After she went to see her cousin, nobody knows where she went, she’s missing, Aves.”

”Wait, who is her cousin?” Lydia rolled her eyes and her impatience was getting frustrating to behold.

”Her cousin, Raven, killed her own father and apparently comes from the very first vampire king in existence. Meaning she’s powerful as fuck. But,”

Lydia waited for a beat and eventually continued, concern written all over her face.

”She hates the Knights.”

”I know that,” I said and crossed my arms over my chest. Lydia slowly shook her head, her eyes brimming with worry.

”It was a knight that turned Malia and apparently, they’ve been looking for revenge ever since. Raven is the only one that still cares for her cousin, the others see her as an abomination.”

”What are you trying to say?” I asked her, eager to know what she pulled me away from food to say.

”If they seek revenge, then Malias mate is the perfect way to start.” My body stiffened and my senses were on high alert.

”You think they’ll come for her,”

”I hope not, but yes, I think that it’s a possibility and so does my mother. But she said that we should sit tight and keep Amber busy until she finds out more.”

I groaned, knowing I had to put a face on and carry on with the Luna ceremony planing.